He is excited for the talented youngster, Gabriel Slonina, who is likely to go on loan when he heads to Chelsea. One area on the USMNT roster that worries Howard is at goalkeeper. Howard believes Pulisic has earned his opportunities in England and will get more playing time under Graham Potter, compared to Thomas Tuchel. Howard isn't worried about the lack of playing time in other areas of the squad, especially when it comes to Christian Pulisic, because the Chelsea winger is the most talented player in the national team pool. strikers mounts, the calls for Pefok will grow, and the calls will only get louder if the team is held scoreless against Saudi Arabia. Pefok's strength also causes issues for center backs that can create more room for wingers to grow into. Howard said he would have included Jordan Pefok in the squad that faced Japan because he wants goalscorers to be "selfish, egotistical and goal hungry." Being team oriented is a good plus, but if the ball is hitting the back of the net, it doesn't matter how they got there. Part of why it is hard to have a Plan B is that the team does lack change-of-pace options. Howard also had a good read on what needs to change after the team fell to Japan in a friendly last week. He led the team to the Round of 16 match against Belgium in 2014 where he recorded 16 saves to push the game into extra time. With 121 caps to his name, Howard was the last keeper to play between the sticks for the U.S. "But when those lights come on against Wales, and that first turnover happens and whistles past the post, do they look at each other and say, 'OK, we keep playing, we keep sticking to this,' or do they go, 'Oh my God, we're actually in the thick of it now,' and hit the panic button?" "It's really good to have a gameplan," Howard said during his interview on the In Soccer We Trust podcast. He also had advice for the current members of the team. Ahead of the United States men's national team's final tune-up match Tuesday against Saudi Arabia, former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard had a lot to say about Gregg Berhalter's unsettled goalkeeping situation heading into the 2022 World Cup.
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